Ivan The Wonderful

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Ivan Ramen
25 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10002
(646) 678-3859
www.ivanramen.com/

They say that lobster, oysters and even caviar were once considered foods of the poor, scoffed upon by the well-to-do members of society that now consume that fares with indulgent regularity.

Of course, "they" could just be random unverified internet sources, and "well-to-do members of society" could mean the very people you hope to be some day.

In order to reach that 1% status, it's imperative to save money which is something you thought you were doing the last 10 years by regularly dining on $.35 packages of ramen noodles. However, in addition to saving some money and ignoring rumors of people being killed by Cup Noodles lining, you may have just been starting the latest culinary trend.

More: 5 Best Places for Ramen in Midtown

For anyone who's cared to notice, nothing is hotter than ramen right now (unless you get the cold version, but come on now), especially if you procure yours at Ivan Ramen New York. Forgoing the traditional culinary route, chef Ivan Orkin of Long Island actually moved to Japan where he beat the Japanese at their own game with the wildly successful Ivan Ramen in Tokyo.

More: E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. New York

To New Yorker's delight, he has returned stateside to establish the Slurp Shop in Hell's Kitchen and his newly opened flagship Ivan Ramen on the Lower East Side. But you're not stopping by for history, you're coming for noodles and broth. To distinguish his version from the abundance of top-notch Ramen joints in Gotham (Ippudo and Ramen Misoya come to mind), Ivan offers slightly less traditional broths in five ramen options, including nori, soy sauce and dashi in various combinations. From the spicy red chili noodles to the roasted garlic mazemen to the classic shoyu, you truly can't go wrong, especially with add-on options like pork chashu, egg and chili garlic oil.

Your bank account may not have changed much since college, but your ramen sure as hell has.

By Jesse Husid

Jesse Husid writes and edits E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. lifestyle content for CBS New York.